Metal arm, melted heart
by SuperH3ro
Summary: A Bucky X Reader fic. Reader is a member of the avengers with the same skill set as Black Widow. When Bucky and Reader start to get to know each other, they realise they have a special bond that neither predicted. Post CA:TWS. Possible smut in later chapters.
1. Training

Another day at S.H.I.E.L.D meant another day of dealing with the guys. Picking up after the rest of the avengers wasn't part of your job description as a master spy and assassin yet that's all you seemed to be doing lately. Tony was the main culprit, if you weren't cleaning up one of his messes by midday you were in luck. You thanked God everyday that you had Nat to keep you sane and help you out, your bond as the only two female avengers was what started your friendship but it had bloomed naturally into one of the closest relationships you'd had with a friend.

"Hey (Y/N), where's Rogers?" Nat asked as she walked into the avengers living room you shared with the others. Tony had built the avengers tower after the battle of New York. Each floor had a corridor with two bedrooms. You shared your floor with Nat, Steve shared with Bucky, Bruce with Clint and Tony was with Thor. The living room and kitchen area was on the second to top floor while the top floor was entirely made up of one training room equipped with all the avengers individual needs. There were targets, gun ranges and an open floor for practising hand-to-hand combat.

"He's training with Bucky, you need him?" You replied whilst waiting for the toaster to pop. 8.00am was far too early for you to be socialising. You needed at least another hour to wake up properly.

"We're supposed to be leaving for a mission in the East in less than 30 minutes. I swear men have no sense of time, even the super soldier type."

You could tell that Nat wasn't impressed with Steve's lack of presence.

"I'm heading up to train anyway, I'll send him down" You figured you could give Steve a heads up not to piss of Nat any more than he had.

"Thanks (Y/N)."

Once you'd gotten in the lift, your toast forgotten, you realised your mistake. Sending Steve down meant you wouldn't have him to train with and he was your usual training partner on a Monday.

 _Dammit_ you thought as the lift stopped and the doors began to open. _Guess I'm training alone today._

"Steve! Nat needs you ASAP! You're leaving on a mission?" You'd interrupted Bucky and Steve from sparring, both were breathing heavy and had a fine layer of sweat on their faces.

"Damn! Is she mad?" He was hurrying towards the lift as he said it, a worried expression on his face.

"I..I would be quick." You avoided the question as he passed you. A moment later the lift was gone and Steve with it.

Silence filled the room as you walked over to the weapons lock to pick out a throwing knife. You avoided eye contact with Bucky the whole time. It wasn't that you disliked him, you just hadn't clicked in the two months that he'd been living in the tower.

"Erm don't you normally train with Steve today?" The question surprised you only because Bucky never spoke to you unless it was necessary.

"Yeah but..." You gestured at the empty lift in response. Bucky juts looked at you with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You can train with me if you like." He offered awkwardly. You felt uncomfortable a the thought yet you didn't want to seem rude.

"Yeah..okay..sure."


	2. Shooting

**A/N: Thanks for all the interest in the first chapter! Not 100% sure where I'm going to go with this so any input is valued! Here's chapter 2!**

Bucky and you stood staring awkwardly at each other for a few seconds until you cleared your throat.

"So what first?" You asked tentatively as you approached the array of weapons to one side.

"What do you and Steve usually start with?" Bucky replied from somewhere behind you. Your eyes automatically roamed towards the handguns carefully slotted into holsters hung on the wall.

"We start at the gun range." You reached out and attached a handgun expertly to each of your thigh holsters as you'd done a million times before. As you turned you realised that Bucky had silently approached and was stood right beside you. Even for a master assassin you realised how stealthy he was compared to others you'd worked with, especially for someone of his size.

"Okay then, we'll start there" He replied as he pulled one of the remaining handguns from the wall and checked the ammo. When he'd finished inspecting the gun, he turned and walked towards the shooting range at the far wall without giving you a second glance.

 _Wow..this is awkward_. You followed behind him at a distance, tying your (h/c) hair into a high tight ponytail. When you were done you saw that Bucky had left his weapon on the counter of the shooting range and was in the process of placing a target into position. You followed suit, placing your own guns in the section beside his and walked around to fix your target.

"I got it" Bucky's voice startled you, it had been a few minutes since either of you had spoken and the sudden sound of his voice had broken the quiet. He stood beside you as he put your own target up as well and when he was done he finally looked at you for the first time since selecting your weapons. His eyes went straight from your face to your hair for a beat and then he walked briskly off to his discarded weapon.

 _He noticed I tied back my hair. Observant._ You thought as you headed back to your section. Once you were beside each other, weapon in hand, there was nothing to do but to shoot. Neither of you wore noise cancelling headphones, you wouldn't in the field so there was really no point. As you took aim and put the slightest pressure on the trigger, you saw Bucky out of the corner of your eye. You didn't know when he'd tied back his own hair but he had. You could see his strong neck and shoulders tense as he took aim with his own weapon.

CRACK!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Of course all of his shots hit their target, you expected nothing less of The Winter Soldier himself. You turned back to your own target, and fired off six rounds in quick succession, first the left gun, then the right. Left, right, left, right. Once each gun was down three bullets you lowered them both and looked at your target. Three bullets littered the head of the target whilst the other three had punctured the exact point where the heart would be. _Perfect_ you thought as you smiled to yourself. It was only then that you noticed the silence.

When you looked to your right Bucky was staring at you. He'd been watching you realised and now there was something in his eyes. Appreciation? Was he impressed? All you could do was shrug in response but when you turned back to the target you realised you were grinning.

The rest of the session went on in silence apart from the rhythmic cracking of bullets hitting home. Once you were both out of ammo you replaced the guns without a word shared between you.

"What's next?" Bucky asking turning to you. It seemed he was leaving the training session in your hands.

"Well Steve and I would usually move onto knife throwing now but I think we've killed all the targets that Tony replaced." You replied whilst glancing at the bullet-riddled targets. Your head snapped back when you heard Bucky's laugh.

 _Oh my God, I've never heard him laugh before. The super soldier killing machine actually laughed._ You were shocked. Bucky still had the slightest of smiles on his face but he smothered it immediately when you made eye contact.

"So after the knife throwing?" He asked, his eyes boring into yours. The atmosphere had changed you realised. Whereas before you felt awkward and tense around him, now you had started to relax. Training with Bucky wouldn't be so bad you realised.

"Next we'd move on to hand-to-hand combat" You were only a few feet from the combat area and you turned to get into position on one side when his sharp shout caused you to pause.

"NO!" The sound was so loud and demanding that you faltered. You turned towards him furrowing your brow. _What's his problem?! I was just getting comfortable!_

Before you could say another word Bucky stormed past you and into the lift at the end of the room. With his metal arm he pushed the button for his floor and the doors closed, not once did he look back at you.

You stood for a moment in silence wondering what the hell had just happened. Had you said something? Or was he just crazy like some people had decided? Only one thing you knew for sure; Steve had better hurry up with his mission or you'd be training alone for the foreseeable future.


	3. Confrontation

**A/N: I'm really enjoying writing this and the reviews are so nice thank you!**

It had been almost 24 hours since the incident with Bucky and his temper tantrum and you'd finally decided what you thought had set his mind against hand-to-hand combat with you. Only 3 days before you had trained with him, he'd returned from a mission with Steve Sam. The mission was mostly recon but you knew that there had been a fire-fight. None of the team had been injured as far as official reports stated. This is where you decided the fault lied, Bucky must have been hurt. It made so much sense, if Bucky had been grazed by a bullet or even received a non-fatal hit then he would be reluctant to do anything that might reveal his injury!

As for his abrasive response and exit well, a master assassin such as the Winter Soldier wasn't going to show any signs of weakness especially towards someone he barely knew. Getting angry and stomping off was more his style then having a heart to heart about his scrapes and bruises.

So this is where your plan was put into action. You had already settled into a cross-legged position on the floor of the training room smack bang in the middle of the combat floor. Bucky kept the same training schedule you knew so he should be along any second. Confronting him would be scary, not because he was a silent killing machine or because you got the impression he wasn't exactly fond of you but because he gave you NOTHING. Conversation was supposed to be a to and fro but he was so cold and unresponsive that you felt like you were talking to a brick wall.

Suddenly you were snapped out of your thoughts by the DING of the lift. Immediately you felt your pulse quicken at the thought of the confrontation. _Let's hope this goes well..._

"Morning Bucky." You smiled sweetly at him from your position on the floor.

Bucky's eyes had been focused on the floor of the lift as the doors opened but at the sound of your voice his head whipped up and his eyes landed on your face. You could see you'd taken him by surprise and suddenly realised that maybe that wasn't the best start.

"Hi..(Y/N)" He murmured just loud enough for you to hear. He strolled past you to the weapons table and began assembling a handgun.

 _Sticking to our schedule it seems. No time like the present._ You sucked in a breath and asked tentatively "Bucky?"

"Yes?" He answered without even turning to glance in your direction. He continued whatever he was doing with the weapon in his hands.

"Are you..ya know..hurt?" The question came from your lips haltingly since you hadn't really meant to jump right into it but there it was.

Bucky turned to you with his brow furrowed with confusion. "Why would I be hurt?" He stared at you making you deeply uncomfortable.

"Well yesterday when I thought we'd do some hand-to-hand you freaked. Just left out of nowhere. I figured maybe you didn't want to spar with me because you were hurt last week on that mission with Steve. I wanted to make sure you're okay." You realised after the words left your mouth how stupid they sounded. Wanted to make sure he was okay? Yeah the 6"2 super soldier assassin needed your help. _Idiot._

"I'm not hurt." That was all the response he gave before turning back to his weapon. Anger flared in you seemingly coming from nowhere at all.

"Hey! I'm trying to make sure you're okay, you could at least talk to me! And look at me! Jesus!" You were surprised at your own outburst but you realised you were right. You were trying to help and you hadn't knowingly done anything wrong so why was he being so god damn rude to you?

He turned slowly to face you and this time you could see surprise clear as day on his face. He clearly was more surprised than you were at your rant. For once he seemed silent not because he was brooding but because he was lost for words. Finally he spoke. "I'm sorry. Thank you for trying to help me but I'm fine. Really."

You could tell that apologising was difficult for him but you appreciated it none the less. "Then what was yesterday all about? I don't understand, if you're not hurt then why...?"

He sighed and looked down at the floor. "I was worried that I'd hurt you. You're so small." At this point he looked up at you. "When I spar with Steve I know he's as resistant as me. If I hit him hard he'll just hit back. If I accidentally hit you I could really hurt you." You could tell just from his face that he was telling you the truth.

 _He's scared of hurting me. He's scared of his own strength._ "Bucky...you won't hurt me. I'm small sure but I'm just as much a S.H.I.E.L.D agent as you are. I can protect myself. Maybe it's you who should be scared of getting hurt by me." You smiled warmly to show him that you the last part was a joke.

Bucky smiled back at you, the first genuine smile you'd ever seen from him. Of course he'd be worried he'd hurt you, he had a robotic arm and a serum coursing through him that made him capable of serious damage let alone all the advanced training he'd received under Hydra's control.

"How about we start slow? Real basic manoeuvres and parrying to see how we feel. If you don't want to carry on after that we'll just go back to target practise and I'll find someone else to spar with." You weren't sure why but you really wanted to carry on training with him all of a sudden. Maybe it was his honesty or the vulnerability he'd shown but something inside you wanted to help him and being his friend might be a good way to go about it.

There was silence for a second before he broke out into another smile. "Let's give it a go."

You walked over to the side of the combat area while Bucky took stance opposite you. As you tied your hair back into a ponytail you smirked. "I'll try not to break anything."


	4. Resolution

**A/N: Please keep the reviews coming in it's great getting feedback! Thanks for reading!**

You'd both started out cautious. Bucky had made very slow strikes at you which you could have defended in your sleep. Still, you appreciated that this was difficult for him knowing what you did about his fear of hurting you. You dodged his attacks and jabbed back at him, a high kick, a stomach jab, at one point you almost got him in a choke hold but he moved far more swiftly than you could have imagined of someone his size.

After a long time of trading harmless you blows you decided to take it up a notch. He'd seen that you could defend yourself and you'd seen that he was getting more relaxed at the idea of sparring with you. You were ready to try and take it to the next level. With one swift movement you had grabbed his metal arm by both hands and used it to catapult yourself into the air above his head. As you fell back to the ground you twisted your legs around his torso and used your combined weight to crash to the ground.

The move took him completely by surprise. Before he new what was happening he was flat on his back and you were on top of him straddling his chest with the smuggest smirk you could muster plastered on your face. "See, I told you I could handle myself."

His eyes were wide with surprise but soon he was smiling at you, then laughing. _He has a nice laugh_ was all you could think at that moment. His laugh was silenced when he shot upright and turned so fast that you could only fly back under his force. You slammed into the ground with a WHOOSH as the air left your body.

Suddenly Bucky was on top of you, his weight gently pressing down on you while he held himself up with an arm either side of your head. "You're right, you can. Ready to spar for real?"

It was his turn to smirk at you. You couldn't help but smile back. THIS was the Bucky that Steve was always talking about, the best friend he grew up with that made him laugh and looked after him pre-serum. You found yourself hoping that this was how he'd be around you from now on. No more brooding Bucky storming around and not talking to you or even giving you a second glance.

He was still on top of you you realised after a second. "Erm yeah. You have too.." You gestured to him with your free hand.

"Oh, right." He moved off of you and stood up. He leant down and reached out his flesh hand to you. You took it without hesitation and he helped you up. "Let's do this."

You took position again at either side of the combat area. Your dropped into an attack stance and Bucky mimicked you. Then it was all go. Before you knew it you were both in a frenzy of movement. Attack, block, attack block, attack, block and over and over. You could tell that Bucky was still holding back some but you didn't mind. He was after all a super soldier like Steve who also held back when you sparred together. If Bucky or Steve used their full force on you they would almost certainly break bones where their strikes hit home. As it were you could feel that there would be bruises when you woke up tomorrow but you were giving as good as you got. Bucky looked very focused on defending your attacks and the ones that did hit home were good strong blows that afforded you the time to fall back into a defending position in time for his blows.

You weren't sure how long you had been training when J.A.R.V.I.S interrupted your sparring but you were both breathing heavy and covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mr. Barnes and Miss. (L/N). Mr Stark and Mr. Fury have requested both of your presence for lunch along with the other Avengers."

"Thanks Jarvis." You replied to the thin air. "I'm gunna get changed, see you at lunch Bucky?"

"See you at lunch." He smiled. "Good session today. Same again tomorrow?" There was something in his eyes, hope? He clearly wanted to continue training with you until Steve was back. The thought made you happy.

"Same again tomorrow." He reached up on tip toes and kissed Bucky on the cheek. When you stepped back you could see the surprise on his face. Without another word you turned around and strode towards the lift. Once inside you pressed the button for your floor. Only when the doors had almost closed did you turn to look back at Bucky. He was stood exactly where you'd left him and he had the same expression of shock on his face.

The doors closed and you let out a huge breath you didn't realise you'd been holding. _Why did I do that?!_ You hadn't planned to kiss his cheek, you'd just done it on impulse. _Okay calm down. It was just a kiss on the cheek. It's not like you jumped him for gods sake._ You'd kissed Steve tons of times, and Nat, and even Clint that one time he'd broken his wrist and insisted that you had to "kiss his ouchie to make it better." Why was this any different?  
And yet as the lift opened on your floor and you went to put your key in the door, you couldn't help but feel butterflies in your stomach at the thought of lunch with all the avengers ...and Bucky.


	5. Lunch

**A/N: I got stuck on this one hope it's okay!**

You had decided that you'd come down for lunch as soon as possible so that you could pick which seat you wanted...and so that you wouldn't be sat next to Bucky. You liked Bucky, training together had bonded you but when you kissed him on the cheek it felt different then when you kissed Steve or Nat. You never got butterflies afterwards, never even had a second though. Yet with Bucky all you'd been thinking about since you got washed and changed was whether you should have done it or not and if it had weirded him out as much as it had weirded you.

So there you were, stood in the grand dining room of the avengers tower with no one but J.A.R.V.I.S for company. "Hello Miss. (L/N). You are slightly early but the others should be here soon. Please take a seat." You walked around the table and took a seat one form the end. "Welcome Mr. Barnes." You had only been half listening until you heard _Barnes._ You turned slightly to see Bucky stood in the doorway looking at you uncomfortably.

"Hi (Y/N)." He wasn't looking directly at you but at some invisible point just above your head. He opened his moth to speak again when suddenly the noise in the hallway cut him off.

"Well yeah I asked him to come but ya know, space is big. He's off being the 'almighty' Thor. Who knows when he'll be back." That was unmistakeably Tony and that meant that Bruce was close by if they'd come from the lab.

"Thor will be briefed when he returns, same with Agent Romanoff and Rogers. Until then I just have you sorry lot." Fury's voice preceeded him by seconds before he entered with Tony, Bruce and Clint trailing behind. "Barnes." Fury nodded at Bucky as he passed him in the doorway. "(L/N)." He sat opposite you at the table. Bucky slowly entered the room and without time to think it through, came and sat right next to you.

 _So much for that plan_ you thought to yourself as you tried to keep an impassive expression. Clint sat on the other side of you while Tony took the seat to Fury's left with Bruce on his left. "I was asleep dreaming about Angelina Jolie. This better be good." Clint whispered in your ear. You let out a giggle at the bitter expression on his face. Next to you you heard Bucky HUFF under his breath. _What is his problem now?_

"Ahem, listen up! Stark and I have called you in here because we've just received intel from one of our insiders at a Hydra base in D.C. It boils down to this: a while ago we planted info stating that The Winter Soldier had been recaptured by HYDRA officials in Wyoming and he was well on his way into being rehabilitated as the assassin he was made to be. Well now the HYDRA base in D.C want The Winter Soldier for a mission. They have no idea that we took over the HYDRA base in Wyoming. We've sent a message form Wyoming agreeing to release the asset to them under the condition that his handler be sent with him. We're here to decide who will be best to go with Barnes as his acting handler and gather more intel on what Hydra are planning to use him for."

There was silence in the room. You glanced up at Bucky to see his reaction but his face was back to being the unreadable mask he usually wore. _Did he already know about this?_

"Well metal-man it out." Clint said looking at Stark. "He's way to recognisable."

"Hey! I could wear a moustache and use a Mexican accent! Call me Pedro the assassin handler!." Tony spoke with a terrible Mexican accent. Bruce smiled on his left but no one responded except Fury who ignored Tony entirely.

"So Stark's out. Banner?" Everyone looked to Bruce who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Um that sounds...stressful. I don't know that I'm your guy on this one. Sorry." He looked so apologetic but everyone knew he was right. Bruce was a genius and when the "other guy" showed up he was a guy you wanted on your team. However as far as espionage went, Bruce was about as useless as Steve was with an Iphone.

"NOT ME!" Clint's shout startled everyone in the room. "I'm not doing this again. Last time I infiltrated a HYDRA base Nat ended up getting promoted above me and bossed me around until our mission was over. I've paid my dues." That made you smile. Nat had told you about how she had been promoted when she was undercover in HYDRA. She'd gained so much insider knowledge of that HYDRA base that S.H.I.E.L.D had dismantled it within 24 of getting Nat's encoded message. Yet she'd said the best part was the week and a half she'd been Clint's official boss.

It took you longer than you'd have liked to realise that there were eyes on you. Clint and Tony both had smirks on their faces while Bruce just looked sorry for you. Fury's face was passive and Bucky was the only person in the room not looking at you.

 _Why are they..? Wait...Tony, Bruce, Clint, Nat and Steve were in the field so that left you and...oh crap. That left you._


	6. Mission

**A/N: I'm so sorry this one has taken so long I've been ill but I'm well again and ready to write!**

 _Well shit. I'm on a mission with The Winter Soldier. Who'd have thought it?_ You were sat in the back of a quinjet strapped into a seat with Bucky sat opposite you. After the lunch time meeting things had moved very quickly. You were briefed about the mission parameters: see what the HYDRA base wants with the Winter Soldier and follow it through until you have enough intel to report back to S.H.I.E.L.D. Then you'd been given the gear you needed, weapons and an alias that fit the look of a handler. You were now Cassie Lange, a HYDRA handler who specialised in keeping the Winter Soldier on target. Once that had been established you'd been bundled into the back of the quinjet where Bucky was already seated and that was that. Now you were 10 minutes outside of the D.C bas that was your destination.

Bucky had been silent the entire time, barely even glancing up at you when you got into quinjet. It had become apparent to you that he had known of the mission prior to the lunch time meeting. _A heads up would have been nice..._

"Are you ready for this?" You asked Bucky.

He looked up at you for the first time in ages. "Of course. You?"

"I'm fine. I'm not the one who was tortured by these people, I just want to make sure you're okay with this". You had a real concern that this would all be too much for Bucky. You worried he would either break down like you knew he did sometimes with Steve when the memories and flashbacks became too much or he would flip out and blow any chance at gaining intel.

"I can do this. It's my job now." He said with determination. He gave you a small smile to reassure you and you couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay then, let's do it". You replied as the quinjet began to make a decent.

Once the quinjet was planted firmly on the ground you jumped out of the entrance with Bucky right on your heels. A HYDRA personal was waiting for you, a team of 5 armed guards. You put on your most confident mask and strode towards them.

"Cassie Lange. Handler of the asset". You reached out and shook hands with the man who appeared to be in charge, a middle aged slim man with an air of power about him.

"I'm Daniel Savage, it was my team that contacted you in Wyoming. Hail HYDRA". He shook you hand as he said this and an easy smile graced his lips.

"Hail HYDRA. This is the asset, the Winter Soldier." You gestured to Bucky who was stood silently by your side. Bucky stared at the Daniel but said nothing. His whole demeanour had become aggressive just with his body language. He look deadly. You could understand why the Winter Soldier had been such a formidable opponent of S.H.I.E.L.D for so long.

Daniel Savage looked Bucky up and down with the look of someone studying a car they were going to buy. "He's in good health. No damage from his time within S.H.I.E.L.D?" The way he was talking about Bucky like he was an object was grating you but you didn't let it show.

"No lasting physical damage and any psychological changes have been fully erased with thorough cognitive recalibration and memory implantation. He is the Winter Soldier once again". You knew you were only playing a part but talking about Bucky like he wasn't even there made you feel horrible. You knew you'd have to apologise as soon as the two of you were alone.

"Well then, let me show you to where you'll both be staying. I'm sure you'd like to rest before we get into the technicals." You followed Daniel as he and his guards led you within the HYDRA passed through several corridors until you reached a floor of the building that seemed to be empty save for one door.

"This is your room, we gave you a twin since we thought it was best that you remain close to the asset for supervision." He opened the door to the room and you saw that it was indeed a twin room with a bed on either side of the room and a small bathroom coming off of the room wall. You had expected that they would keep you close to Bucky but you hadn't expected you'd be sharing a room.

"We'll let you get settled in. Mission briefing isn't until tomorrow, at that time someone will come for you and lead you to the briefing room. If you need anything there's an internal phone on the side there. See you tomorrow, we're glad you're here." Daniel shook your hand again and left without another word. Not once since the roof had Daniel even glanced at Bucky, everything was directed at you. _Rude asshole_ you thought as you turned to Bucky.

"Which bed do you want?" You asked him quietly in case someone was still outside the door.

"I'll take this one". Bucky said as he sat down on the bed closest to the door. You'd expected as much, he'd take the one closest the door in case there was an intruder, he'd be the first into action if that were the case.

"I don't like the way they're treating you already." You said after a moment of silence. He was already being treated as if he didn't matter until his skills are needed. He was an object to them, a means to an end and you hated it. This was going to be harder than you expected.

"That will be the least of it. But I'm okay (Y/N), honestly. I'm prepared for this. It's you I'm worried about. If they do anything to hurt you tell me at once. I won't let that happen, it's not worth it." You were so touched by what he said that you didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"Thank you, Bucky. I'll be fine. We're in this together." You smiled at him sincerely and he returned the gesture. Maybe you and him could be friends after all. Perhaps this mission would be what bonded you from now on. If you survived it.

 **A/N: Please please PLEASE review guys! Next chapter up soon!**


	7. Questions

**A/N: Well this one was quick. Keep the reviews coming guys!**

You and Bucky spent the next few minutes checking the room for bugs. There was nothing out of the ordinary and you both felt slightly more relaxed knowing that HYDRA weren't listening to your every word.

"So...what do we do until tomorrow?" You asked Bucky when you'd both sat back down on your respective beds. There were a few hours of daylight left and the blind on your window did nothing to keep out the light so there was no possibility of getting sleep until the sun went down.

"Well, I guess we can just stay in here. And talk." He answered you awkwardly. _What will we talk about?_ Your mind had gone completely blank _._

"So...how do you think tomorrow will go?" You asked after a moment of silence. Besides filling the silence you wanted to know what you should expect tomorrow.

"From what I can remember of HYDRA mission briefings, they're much like S.H.I.E.L.D's only with less morals and more talk of taking out targets. It's not fun but I think we'll learn a lot form tomorrow alone." He wasn't focused on you but somewhere else, remembering his time in HYDRA possibly or another time past. Either way you knew it wouldn't be good for him to dwell on the past.

"Okay. Simple enough. At least we'll find out what they need you for and go from there." Silence filled the room again. You lifted yourself off the bed and went to the small bedroom to clean up and change into the vest top and shorts that you'd bought with you to sleep in. After changing and washing your face you felt a little more yourself than you had since landing at the HYDRA base.

When you went back into the main room you saw that Bucky had also changed from his Winter Soldier gear into a pair of loose fitting jogging bottoms and a tight black t-shirt. You could see his abs accentuated through the thin black material and both his flesh and metal arms were large with muscle. Bucky's eyes caught yours and you looked away sharply realising that you'd been staring for far too long.

You climbed back onto you bed after putting your clothes into the chest of drawers on your side of the room. You laid back on top of the covers and began thinking about the day so far and what would come tomorrow. You were broken out of your reverie by Bucky's softened voice.

"Y/N, can I ask you something?" His voice was quieter than usual, there was a tone to it that you thought was uncertainty which caught your attention.

You rolled onto your side so that you were facing him. "Shoot." What could he want to know that was clearly making him uncomfortable?

"You and Barton, are you...you know?" He wasn't meeting your eye and he looked more uncomfortable than he had before.

"Are we what?" You didn't know what he was going to ask you but you certainly hadn't imagined it would involve Barton.

"Are you... _involved.."_ You could almost swear that he had a slight blush to his cheeks. Understanding hit you at once. _Oh my god he thinks Clint and I are dating! How in the hell did he come to that conclusion?_

"Bucky! NO! Oh my God no, Clint and I are just friends, he's like an annoying brother or something. Why would you even think that?" The thought of you and Clint dating was absurd. The only thing weirder you could think of was if he'd said Tony instead of Clint.

"The other day when you were sat with him in the meeting you just seemed close, like the two of you were laughing at your own thing and I dunno, maybe I got the wrong end of the stick... I shouldn't have said anything." He looked embarrassed that he'd even asked in the first place.

"Bucky, I promise you, there is nothing going on with me and Clint. Not if hell froze over or pigs fly. Really." You were smiling now at how ridiculous the idea was. Clint was a good friend to you but there was no way either of you would ever entertain the idea of anything more than that. You silently told yourself to remember to tell Clint about this, you knew it would give him a laugh.

When you made eye contact with Bucky again you saw that he had clearly accepted your response, there was understanding in his face as well as something else. Something unexpected.

 _Is he...is he happy?_


	8. Situation

**A/N: I really hope you guys like this one!**

The next couple of hours had gone smoothly enough. You and Bucky had talked a little keeping to safe topics like the mission and Steve when he was younger. You'd talked about pre-serum Steve and laughed when Bucky told you about all the times he'd found Steve beaten half bloody in an alley somewhere because he refused to keep his mouth shut. You'd even talked a little about how Bucky had been before HYDRA had captured him but when you realised that that conversation wouldn't have a happy ending you'd moved it back to the mission.

Bucky had just jumped in the shower while you were checking to make sure you had everything you needed for tomorrow. Once your clothes, handgun and emergency supplies were laid out ready for the next day there was nothing left to do but go to bed. You went over to turn off the lamp on the chest of drawers when Bucky emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey Bucky, do you want me to leave your lamp o-oh!" Bucky had walked into the room with his long hair dripping wet, his sweat pants hanging low on his waist...and no shirt. _Oh my they're some abs..._

 _"_ My shirt got wet, could you chuck me another one? Sorry." He looked uncomfortable as he gestured to the duffel bag on the floor by your foot. Dragging your eyes away from his chest was hard but you managed to find him a plain white shirt in his duffel bag. You walked round the bed and handed it to him, brushing his fingers as you did so.

"So, um, here." _Oh my god you're a super spy and a master assassin and you're practically drooling over him. Get it together girl!_

"Thanks." You looked up at him startled. His voice had changed, it was always deep, always rough but now there was an edge to it. Husky almost. His eyes were lidded slightly and his mouth parted. _He's having as much trouble as I am keeping it together, holy crap._

You became all too aware of what you were wearing suddenly. The tight vest top, the shorts. And the proximity of your bodies, there were mere inches between your chests. You'd been stood there just looking at each other for far too long, breathing heavily. It felt only natural for you to ever so slowly lean up towards him, getting closer and closer. Clearly you weren't the only one with that reaction, Bucky was leaning slowly towards you too, never breaking eye contact.

When your lips were centimetres from his your eyes closed without command and your breath caught in your throat. Closer and closer and closer and then...

Nothing.

You opened your eyes in confusion at the same time that Bucky cleared his throat, cutting through the heavy silence like a knife. You saw that he'd taken a step back from you and straightened up.

"We should probably get some sleep." His voice was quiet, shaken. He turned without a second glance at you and shut the last remaining lamp off, plunging you into darkness.

You stood holding your breath, listening to the sounds of his feet against the carpet as he walked to his bed and then the springs as they took his weight. Then silence again.

 _Well what the fuck was that?!_ You'd almost kissed. You and the Winter Soldier had almost kissed and then he'd just walked away like nothing happened. _Fuck fuck FUCK!_

You walked to your bed and got under the covers as silently as possible. The thought of having to see him, talk to him again tomorrow made you nervous. Would he mention it? Or would you both just pretend it never happened? As you closed your eyes and let the exhaustion you hadn't felt until then overtake you, you noted the sounds around you.

Somewhere there was music coming from a distant building, a car whooshed past outside in the street, an alarm clock was ticking softly on the night-stand by your bed.

And as the depths of unconsciousness took hold of you, you couldn't be sure if you heard the last sound. The breathless sigh coming from the bed beside you. "O ебать". (Oh fuck)

 **A/N: I LOVED writing this one. Please review and let me know what you think!**

 **P.S: "O ебать" is Russian for "Oh fuck".**


	9. Decision

**A/N: P.O.V change in this one! Enjoy!**

 **Bucky POV~**

ЧтоФукса не так со мной? (What the fuck is wrong with me?) was the first thing the Winter Soldier thought when he woke up at 6am the next morning. _Ugh I'm so stupid!_

He laid in bed as still as possible hoping not to wake (Y/N) in the next bed. The scene from yesterday was playing over and over again in his head. Her long legs in those tiny shorts, the cleavage her vest top, how her breath had become shallower the closer they got. It was all too much for him to handle, all of the strict rules he'd set himself when around her had flown out the window once she'd gotten within a foot of him. He'd been trying so goddamn hard since they'd trained together for the first time to keep his distance, to not bond with her, to not let himself even hope to be an important part of her life. Yet one look at her and his mind had gone blissfully blank of all the crap that was usually filling his mind keeping him aware of his past.

 _What am I doing? She's let me this far, I could even be her friend and I almost kiss her! FUCK._ He'd been awake an hour already and the almost kiss was still the only thing playing in his mind, every excruciating moment of it on repeat for him to dwell on. It was so silent in the room that he heard the change in (Y/N)'s breath. It had gone from even to slightly staggered informing Bucky that you were about to wake up.

 _Oh shit what do I do?!_ He rolled slowly onto his side to face you. You were just waking up, innocence and sleep on your face and it was the cutest thing Bucky had ever seen. _Right, soldier mode._

Bucky jumped out of bed fully alert and started for the bathroom. "It's gone 8 (Y/N), we need to meet Daniel in an hour. I'm taking a shower". He walked out the room with purpose keeping a stoic expression the entire time. However, as soon as he shut the bathroom door behind him -rather too aggressively- he immediately slumped over the sink making eye contact with himself in the mirror. _Okay, denial. Pretending it didn't happen. That's what I'll go with. Maybe she didn't even realise what was going on, maybe she'll forget._ _дерьмо́! (Shit!)._

 **Reader POV~**

You'd barely fully woken when Bucky had jumped out of bed abruptly and stomped into the bathroom muttering something about needing to get up. _Well then. That answers my question, guess it was no big deal for him. That's for the best. Good. Fab. Really fantastic._ You couldn't help the slight disappointment that flooded through you. You didn't even know why but you had been quietly hoping that there would be more to this than what had happened last night. You weren't sure what you'd hoped for but it certainly wasn't Bucky being back to his annoying brooding self.

You sat up and stretched trying to shake the sleep off of you. Today was going to be an important day, today you would find out why Daniel Savage and HYDRA wanted the Winter Soldier so badly. So in light of that you made a decision. You would not allow yourself any more time trying to figure out Bucky. You'd push him as far from your mind as possible unless it was relevant to the mission. You were a S.H.I.E.L.D agent after all and a professional. And more importantly you were a grown ass women who wouldn't be spending your time lusting after someone who wasn't interested. Hell you didn't even know if you were interested past his body. _Get it together, it's mission time._

By the time you had sorted your hair into a professional looking knot at the nape of your neck and collected you clothes into a bundle Bucky left the bathroom. He'd washed and dressed in his Winter Soldier gear looking as formidable as his history would suggest he was. He didn't even glance at you as he walked over to the duffel bag on the floor and picked out a couple nasty looking guns.

You slipped into the bathroom and washed as quickly as possible, towelled off and threw on the clothes you'd left ready. After brushing your teeth and fixing your jacket in the mirror, you took a long look at yourself. "Okay. Let's do this."

You stepped out of the bathroom with your pyjamas in you arms folded neatly. Bucky was sat at the dressing table sliding bullets into the clip of one of you handguns while the other sat ready next to him. You'd just put you pj's on your bed when you felt his presence close behind you.

"These are ready for you. Hope you don't mind, I saw them in the bag." You turned to see Bucky stood close behind you with your two handguns laid flat on his outstretched palm. You took them without making eye contact and slid one into the hidden pocket inside your jacket and the other under you waistband.

"Thanks. Let's go". You walked past him to the door. You knew Daniel was stood outside, you could see the shadow of his feet under the door. You pulled the door open with a welcoming smile. "Daniel! Hi!".

"Morning Cassie, did you sleep well?" He pulled you in and kissed your cheek. When he released you he glanced up behind you obviously clocking the soldiers presence.

"Yes thank you, Mr. Savage. What's the plan for today?" You were curious as to how the day would go, surely explaining why Bucky was needed wasn't going to take a whole day. Would his involvement with this section of HYDRA start immediately?

"Daniel, please. We'll start with briefing you and the asset on the mission parameters. Then when you've assessed his abilities in relation to the task ahead, we were thinking a celebration. I happen to own a night club down town. Of course it's a front for HYDRA operations but the club itself is a good way to finish a long day of business with a drink in hand Ms. Lange."

"Cassie. Sounds like a plan." You smiled at him sweetly. The first part had sounded normal enough but the night club had surprised you. Not that a social aspect wasn't unexpected, you figured you'd have to spend time outside of business talk with these people in order to gain intel but a night club wasn't the setting you'd imagined. _Wow...Bucky in a night club. That's new._

 _"_ Fantastic. Shall we make our way to the meeting room?" Daniel placed his hand on the small of your back and lead you down the hallway without so much as a pleasantry exchanged with Bucky. You could hear the soldiers footsteps behind you so you knew he was following.

"So tell me Cassie, how does such a lovely girl like you manage to deal with such a hand-full as him?" He nodded behind you to Bucky.

"Oh...I have no idea." It was the most honest thing you'd said so far.


	10. Plan

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews guys they've been great!**

The meeting went the way all mission briefings usually go, the only difference was that you were working with the wrong team. The operation outlined was fairly straightforward. The Winter Soldier was needed to assassinate a high-power official from an opposing organisation. This high power official was supposedly often surrounded by heavily armed and highly skilled individuals. He himself was also skilled and very experienced. The target? Nick Fury.

The Winter Soldier was hired to kill the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Besides the obvious implication that Fury had moved from a threat to the top of a major terrorist organisations kill list, it was the perfect intel to send back to S.H.I.E.L.D. The hit was scheduled for 2 days time. You knew you could get a message to S.H.I.E.L.D by then so that Fury and the team were informed of the situation but you weren't done there. You and Bucky were going to stay within HYDRA for at least the next 24 hours to see what else you could find out. It was too good an opportunity to miss.

So that was it. Daniel had asked if you thought the soldier could handle that and of course you'd said it would be done. Hands were shaken, pleasantries were given and Bucky had stayed silent and malevolent next to you the entire time.

As you were leaving the meeting room Daniel took you by the arm and lead you to the empty corner outside. "So, you'll be coming tonight then?" Daniel asked you looking at you intently.

"Oh the night club..yeah. Sure." You'd forgotten about Daniel's invitation to the night club he owned. Out of nowhere you felt a presence behind you.

"I'll come too." The voice was stern and cold. Bucky. You turned very slightly to see him stood at your shoulder, his eyes boring into Daniel. _Why would BUCKY want to go to a night club?!"_

Bucky's sudden declaration had clearly startled Daniel. "Um yeah. Okay if you like."

Bucky nodded and turned on his heel abruptly and left. "Seriously, does he not creep you out?" Daniel asked you.

"No." You shrugged. "Under all that, he's just a man." You smiled and turned to leave.

"I'll send someone to call on you both tonight!" Daniel shouted after you.

You lifted your hand above your head so he could see from behind that you'd heard. You'd said Bucky was just a man and the truth of that hit you. Bucky was a man under all that tampering HYDRA had done to him, making him into a weapon and wiping his mind over and over. Under all that was a man.

 _I'm so stupid._ You'd be over-analysing. You'd been over-analysing Bucky and you'd been over-analysing yourself. Bucky was a man and you were a woman and not only that, you were a woman who was very attracted to this particular man. You had been denying it, you had suppressed it and you had tried to explain it but the simple truth was that you liked Bucky Barnes and had wanted very much to kiss him.

You wanted Bucky but you weren't sure if he wanted you. Sure, he'd almost kissed you but that could have been any number of things. That could have been the stress Bucky was feeling at being forced back into the world of HYDRA or maybe he'd been feeding off of the vibes you'd been giving off. You had to find out how he felt before you could do anything else. A plan was hatching in your mind.

Fate had worked in your favour when Daniel had invited you to the night club. You would have to wear something appropriate for a night club in DC. That would mean skin on display, a small dress most likely. So there it was, you would dress up, you would make an effort and you would look the best you could. If Bucky acted the way other men acted around a woman they were attracted to, in a setting where alcohol would be flowing and bodies would be pressed together you knew there was something there.

You knew what you'd wear. There was a tiny little black dress you'd bought with you, short and tight and accentuating all the right places. Of course you'd come prepared, you were a spy. You had all sorts in that duffel back in the room and a little black number was definitely not the weirdest thing in there. If Bucky reacted he was interested, and if not? Then you'd be able to put it to rest and get on with your life and have Bucky Barnes as a friend. Easy.

Entering your room you couldn't help the smile on your face until you saw Bucky. He was sat on the end of his bed staring at you as you entered cautiously. He was not happy at all.

"What the hell was that all about?" He demanded the second you closed the door behind you. His eyes never left yours and the accusing look in them made you uncomfortable.

"What do you mean? The meeting?" You had no idea why the soldier had a bee in his bonnet but no doubt you didn't want to have an argument about it now.

"No! Daniel asking you out!" He said as if you were stupid. " He's HYDRA or have you forgotten?!" He jumped up and walked towards you as he said it.

"Bucky Jesus! He didn't ask me out! It's to finalise the deal and to get to know the person he's hired. He's probably using it to scope me out, get to know the handler to the great Winter Soldier." You rolled your eyes at the last part to show you were being sarcastic. "Besides, you're coming".

"Because I invited myself!" Bucky was clearly not calming down at your reassurances so you made an extra effort.

"Bucky. For God's sake listen to me. I am an agent of S.H.I.E..D and an Avenger the same as you. Give me at least a little respect by not assuming that I would be interested in a man who not only is a huge part of a terrorist organisation, but also a man who wants my boss -and friend- dead. Give me that benefit of the doubt." Finally you could see some regret on his face. He at least had the common sense to look ashamed.

"Sorry (Y'N)." He looked genuinely sorry so you just nodded stiffly to accept his apology.

"I'm going to go to the gym for a bit. Coming?" He looked at you sincerely. The last thing you wanted to do right now was to work up a sweat in the HYDRA facilities gym.

"Nah. I'm gunna stay in here and read or something until tonight. Don't be too long, Daniel's sending someone to get us." You lifted up a book out of your duffel and opened to your chapter.

"Okay, see you later then." He left quickly after with a sports bag and a bottle of water leaving you alone.

When you were sure he wasn't coming back you got to work. You hung the dress on the back of the door and began styling your hair into something less formal than your usual ponytail.

One hour later and you were finished. Dress on, hair straightened and make-up fixed you knew you were ready.

You heard the distinctive sound of Bucky approaching the room. _Time to put the plan into action_ you thought as you put on your best innocent smile.

 _Game on._

 **A/N: The next chapter shouldn't take long. I'm really looking forward to the next one! Please review guys!**


	11. Reaction

**A/N: So sorry this took so long work has been manic! Hope this makes up for the delay!**

 **Bucky P.O.V~**

 _Okay, gym done, now for the night club._ Bucky was strangely nervous about the evening ahead. Sure. he was the Winter Soldier, he faced gun fights and espionage, scheming and the constant looming threat of sudden death every minute of every day. Night clubs? Never. The clubs he had hazy memories of from the 1940's were far from what the television had shown him of modern day night clubs. There was no band, no dance hall of ladies in dresses lined up against a wall opposite men in shirts and ties waiting to be asked to dance. Oh no. Clubs were now overcrowded and loud and from what he could tell, just a socially acceptable excuse for young people to grind up against each other or more.

And he was going there with (Y/N).

Какого хрена я делаю? ( _What the fuck am I doing?_ )

The only reason he had even invited himself was to keep an eye on you. Bucky had no desire what so ever to go to a night club especially not with Daniel. Ah, Daniel. Bucky couldn't think of a slimier man he'd ever come across. Something about him made Bucky uneasy and the though of him asking you to dance, putting his hands on your body...no. He realised his hands had balled into fists at just the though. So he'd come along and if need be, make an excuse to get you both out of there if the scum bag got too feely with you.

Bucky realised he'd gotten to the door to your room all of a sudden. Thinking about the night ahead had made the walk back seem non-existent. He turned the handle and pushed his way inside the room still half thinking about ringing Daniel's neck with his metal arm. Then he saw you.

All thoughts left Bucky's head in a rush when his eyes found you. Where before his mind had been filled with anxiety and anger about the evening along with the constant state of confusion that Bucky usually tried to suppress, it was now a barren wasteland where tumble weeds roamed free.

You looked incredible. Your eyes shimmered with a hint of silver eye shadow, your cheeks the palest touch of pink and your lips were red. Blood red. Your face was framed by your hair, usually tied in a pony tail, was now framing your face in loose curls. And then the dress. Bucky couldn't help it when his eyes roamed down your body of their own accord. Collar bones were bared as he found the top of the strapless black dress that revealed just the right amount of cleavage. Past your tight waist, hipbones and then the dress stopped as abruptly as it had started to reveal long slender legs that Bucky could swear would never end. When they finally did, a high pair of strappy black stilettos finished the ensemble.

Bucky was aware that his mouth had dropped ever so slightly open and he hadn't said or done anything in the few seconds he'd been in the room except for look you up and down. Finally a clear though broke through the soldiers mind: _Святое дерьмо! (Holy shit!)_

"You look...amazing..." The words left his mouth without his permission but he didn't want to take them back. They were the truest words he'd ever spoken in his life. In both his lives.

 **Reader P.O.V~**

Bucky Barnes was staring at you as if his entire world was dependant on you. His mouth has opened just the slightest as he'd laid eyes on you and his breath had caught. He looked you up and down slowly, so slowly that you felt it must have been hours rather than the few seconds it was in reality. When his eyes finally met yours again the feeling you got was such a rush. _Now that's the reaction a girls wants to see._

"You look...amazing..." His words came out in a breathy whisper that made something in your stomach tighten and not in a bad way.

"You smiled wider. "Thank you Bucky". You looked down at the ground not knowing where to go from there. "Someone will get us soon, you should probably.." Your voice trailed off with the implication.

"Oh..yeah I'll chuck something on." When you looked up again a few seconds later he still hadn't made any move. He was looking at you with a mix of confusion and something else...longing? Fear?

"...ahem...Bucky?" You didn't know where to look all of a sudden, you felt weird being dressed up and on display in front of him without him being the same.

"Right! Yes..erm..yeah". Bucky quickly looked away mumbling incoherently before grabbing some clothes out of his bag and pushing his way into the bathroom without looking at you again.

You felt the air come back into your body again as you took a deep breath to steady yourself. You couldn't help but smile at what was unarguably a success. _So that went well. Now the club..._

It was one thing Bucky eyeing you up, it was another to see how he'd act in a nightclub with alcohol flowing and music thumping. This was just a test, a taste of what the evening might hold. You were broken out of your thoughts by a knock at the door. You opened it immediately to find a tall blonde woman in a professional looking outfit.

"Miss Lange? Mr Savage is ready and waiting in the car. He's asked me to escort you and your associate down." You'd obviously lost track of time again. _Crap, is Bucky ready..?_

You were broken out of your thoughts by the sound of a door opening just behind you. Bucky stepped out of the bathroom with his hair down and his Winter Soldier mode on full. He was wearing his black combat trousers and a black tee which made the air of danger around him ever more present. _He's damn good at flipping that Winter Soldier switch on, I'll give him that._

He walked up beside you and put his hand on the small of your back, sending a shiver down your spine. "Shall we?" He asked you as he slowly moved the two of you forward after the blonde woman.

 _What have I gotten myself in for?_ You wondered as you made your way to the waiting car. And more importantly, _what's going to happen tonight?_

 _Oh, the possibilities..._

 **Okay guys, please read and review! Next chapter will come a lot sooner and will be the night club!**


	12. Snake

**I'm still alive! I can't believe it's been over 3 months since I've updated! I'm so sorry I've had a family bereavement and extra hours at work so I haven't had the time. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I hope this chapter makes up for me not updating in so long.**

 **Reader P.O.V~**

Daniel Savage was not in the car waiting for you. As you and Bucky climbed into the back seat of the flashy car that had come to pick you up, the driver informed you that Mr. Savage would be meeting you at the club. You were silently relieved by the information. Bucky and Daniel both in a confined space together didn't fill your heart with confidence so it was probably for the best. With a side glance at Bucky you could tell the feeling was mutual.

The car slid smoothly out of the space and into the quiet streets. Bucky was sat in the passenger seat next to you and the atmosphere in the car was thick. You wanted to jump him right there and then in the back of a car on the way to a HYDRA agents night club. Professional.

The car was pulling onto a busy motorway as you looked out the window. Most of the other cars on the road were taxis heading in the same direction you were. It looked like lots of people were going out to the night clubs tonight, probably many of them even on their way to Daniel's club.

You were broken out of your thoughts by Bucky suddenly in your personal space.

"If he does anything you don't want him to tonight, let me know. Just because we're on a mission doesn't mean you can't feel safe." He whispered to you so that the driver wouldn't hear. His words surprised you. Of course when you're on a mission you have to do things that don't always make you feel so good but you were sensible, you weren't going to let Daniel -or anyone for that matter- do anything to you that you weren't anticipating.

You leaned closer to him. "Thanks Bucky, I appreciate but I can handle myself."

That ought to put his mind at ease whilst making it clear that you didn't need him to be in overprotective mode all night. He just gave you a sharp nod in response and moved back to his original position beside you.

By this point the car had come off of the motorway and was entering an area full of taxis and people milling around dressed in clubbing attire. A steady thump of muffled music was invading the car and the neon lights of club names were reflected in the windows of the car.

"We're here Ma'am. Mr. Savage will be waiting inside for you. Have a good night." The driver didn't turn around when he talked to you but made eye contact with you in the mirror. You smiled and thanked him in response before giving Bucky a small smile and opening the car door.

The cool air hit you the second you were out the car. With one hand you closed the car door and with the other you pulled the hem of your dress down making sure it was covering all the essential areas. The music was much louder without the car to muffle the sound and the butterflies in your stomach made an appearance once again. Taking a deep breath you demanded that the butterflies be still so you could focus on your mission.

Bucky had walked round and was stood by your side when you looked up at him. "Ready?" you asked.

He scanned the area for a second before looking back at you. "Ready" he replied in a flat voice. All business.

Immediately you saw the glowing neon sign for the club Daniel owned, aptly named "Snake". Typical.

You and Bucky approached the entrance to the club keeping eyes on the area. When you got to the door the bouncer took one quick glance at you before waving you in. "Mr. Savage is seated in his usual booth on the left if you would."

You nodded in reply to the bouncer and walked confidently into the club with Bucky still shadowing your every step. It wasn't difficult to spot Daniel, he was sat in a large open booth with several bottles of alcohol including a champagne bottle on ice spread across the table. Two men who appeared to be associates of Daniel's were sat with him and all three of them were smiling whilst talking. As soon as Daniel made eye contact with you his face split into a grin and he beckoned you over.

Bucky took a quick step in front of you in a protective manoeuvre. You couldn't help but smile slightly even as you rolled your eyes. You weren't going to argue with him in public but you took mental notes that he needed another talk about your abilities.

You reached the table just as the two associates were saying their goodbyes to Daniel. One of them turned and gave you an appreciative look which quickly turned to innocence when he caught sight of the look on Bucky's face. He scuttled off pretty quickly after that with his friend in tow.

"Cassie! Wow you look amazing! I'm so glad you came." He pulled you into a tight hug and you could tell he'd already had a few to drink.

You pulled out of his arms when you heard Bucky clear his throat beside you. "Oh yes, um good to see you soldier." Daniel's smile was gone and there was a look in his eye like he was challenging Bucky to say something but Bucky just lifted his head.

"Sir." It was all he said but the tone of his voice in that one word was colder than the chill in the air outside.

The three of you sat around the booth with you next to Daniel and Bucky sat opposite. Daniel poured you both a glass of champagne which you then lifted in toast. "To HYDRA!" You said and smiled at Daniel feeling like a traitor even though you knew the words coming out of your mouth were bull.

"Too us." Daniel replied with that slimy smile making an appearance again.

Glasses were clinked and sips were taken and then Daniel ploughed into small talk. How was your journey? What do you think of the club? Would you like another drink? His questions came at you like blows one after another and you deflected each one with a smile and all the pleasantness expected. You knew you had to steer the conversation to business or the night would fly by without you gaining any useful knowledge.

"So tell me, since I will be closely involved in the soldiers', shall we say work? Why is Fury the target now? Why after all this time that he's been on the radar?" You knew that the question was a little heavy-handed but you hoped that in his inebriated state Daniel wouldn't notice the abruptness.

"Well my lovely, we believe that Fury is the key you see." He looked at you expectantly.

You had no idea what he was talking about at this point. "The ...key?"

"Yes! The key! The key to the avengers and to S.H.I.E.L.D and everything we're working towards. Without Fury, it will all crumble to dirt and HYDRA will prevail." He smiled with pride puffing his chest out at the thought. While you could agree that Fury was the backbone of the avengers, you knew for a certainty that nothing would crumble. Fury had made the avengers a reality but you had all worked to make it a _team._ That wasn't about to change for anything.

"Genius." Not the honest reply you truly felt but it seemed enough to satisfy Daniel. In fact he took the compliment personally and did something that stopped your thoughts in their tracks. He placed his hand on your leg.

 _Thank God Bucky can't see under the table_ was your first thought followed shortly by _get that the hell off of me_. Yet your outside was a mask of confidence as you sipped your champagne and resisted the urge to pummel the owner of the intruding hand.

"So. Shall we dance girl?" It really wasn't a question as Daniel was already stood and pulling you up by the hand. You glanced quickly at Bucky only to see him rising with you and looking what could only be described as pissed off.

Shaking your head at him you mouthed "no" so he knew that this was not a situation that needed his paused and looked at you questioning but you only nodded to reassure him that you had this under control. before following Daniel to the dance floor.

As soon as you were there he had his hands on your hips and his body was more than a little in your space. Gross.

"What was that about?" He shouted over the thump of the music as he started to move in time to the rhythm. You were already dancing along trying to pretend that the hands on your hips belonged to anyone else.

As you lent closer to him you raised your voice over the music. "He's just a little protective. He's trained to be that way towards me so that I don't get hurt in the field whilst working with him." It seemed a plausible enough excuse to explain the unusual behaviour and you hoped he bought it.

"Hmm...well he doesn't need to worry about you in here. I'll keep you close." He winked as he pulled you flush against him.

You giggled in response but the proximity between you was making you deeply uncomfortable. His hands were still on your hips and you were dancing as the song changed. Daniel made no move to let you go. _I guess a dance means until he decides we're done, great_ you thought.

His movements had changed when this new song started. He was practically grinding up against you and his hands starting roaming up and down your sides. You didn't think it could get any worse until one hand found it's way to your backside. You looked up at him sharply and opened your mouth to protest but you never got the chance. His mouth came crashing down on yours in a drunken frenzy.

Shock took over and you were frozen for a second not knowing how to react. Every nerve in your body was telling you to teach him a lesson with your fists but you knew that was out of the question. The mission came first, your comfort had to be second.

Bucky didn't feel the same.

Daniel was suddenly yanked away from you in a blur. All you saw was his surprised face and a blur of metal. Bucky had apparently been watching the whole exchange from the booth and not liked what he'd seen. Daniel kissing you was the last straw and he'd practically hurled himself at the man, pulling him off of you and placing himself squarely between the two of you. It was a miracle he hadn't punched him.

"Enough." Bucky's voice was firm and full of venom and the full power of his stare was aimed at Daniel.

"Hey! I'm your boss remember, keep in mind who you're talking to _**asset.**_ " Daniel slurred his way through the sentence but that last word hit like a blow to the face. Bucky immediately took a hard step forward into Daniel's personal space.

"I'm a trained killer. You can keep THAT in mind when you talk to me. Cassie and I need a moment." With that he wrapped his flesh hand around your arm and guided you to the cloak room. Once inside he turned around and crushed the doorknob with his metal hand effectively locking it from the inside. The room was lined with coats and jackets each with a little orange ticket to distinguish them. You were right in the centre of the room when he rounded on you.

"What THE HELL was that about (Y/N)? Why didn't you stop him? It's not like you couldn't have!" He was less than a foot away from you in the cloakroom, his whole demeanour was rigid with anger.

"Don't you think I wanted to? Bucky I have a job to do. I may not like it at times but I've had to do worse, it's just the way it is." He could be so unreasonable sometimes, so aggravating. It really sparked your temper in a way nothing else did.

"I honestly don't know. He's clearly been interested in you from the start and you haven't exactly put a stop to it." He'd stepped closer to you as he spoke so that you were only a few inches apart.

"Because he's HYDRA! Because I want to protect my boss and if that means tolerating that shitty slime ball and his advances then I'll do it. Because HYDRA means intel and intel means the difference between life and death. I'm even tolerating you and your need to be over-involved in my life! What exactly is your problem, Bucky? Because this isn't the first time you've bought this up!" It was making you madder and madder the way he was talking to you. How dare he even think he has a say in what goes on in your life, what choices you make. You hadn't realised but during your rant you had squared up to him, completely confrontational.

Your question stopped the soldier in his tracks. He paused before answering you, a crease furrowing his brow.

"I'm just trying to protect you (Y/N). He's a dangerous man. I know you can handle yourself but I still worry." He was still angry you could tell but his seemed to be more inwardly directed. His brow was still furrowed and his eyes wouldn't meet yours.

"But _WHY_ Bucky?" You pleaded with him. Sure, you could understand looking out for your team mates. Hell, you would die for your fellow avengers, they were your family. But Bucky hadn't known you long and he didn't know you well. It just didn't make sense to you.

"Because..because I.." He was stumbling over his words trying to piece together something that made sense. It was only when he finally made eye contact with you, looking into your questioning eyes that the picture finally fit together. Without thinking any further, Bucky acted on impulse.

You weren't expecting Bucky to focus on you intently, and then in one swift motion his flesh hand came up to cup your face and his lips crashed onto yours. The shock lasted milliseconds before you responded in kind. You hadn't realised just how much you wanted this until it was happening. You had known you had an attraction to Bucky but him kissing you seemed to satisfy a yearning that had been stronger than you'd ever felt.

He was kissing you with so much passion that he must have felt the same release that you were feeling. Bucky's metal hand had found it's way to your waist and he used it to press you firmly against him. You were only too happy to oblige.

As quickly as it had happened, Bucky was gone and his absence was felt immediately. You opened your eyes to see Bucky stood in front of you, eyes wide. His rubbed his flesh hand over his face and took a step back from you.

"I'm so sorry, (Y/N). I shouldn't have-" You didn't let him finish. Your hands were already knotted in his hair and you kissed him again. There was no way you were going to let him apologise for something you'd wanted so badly. All you wanted was to show him how you felt and this seemed the perfect way. Since he was kissing you back just as forcefully as you were, it was obvious he wanted this as much and his hands were back on your waist.

Eventually you pulled away from the kiss but not far enough that Bucky let go of you. You smiled at him and his expression matched yours. "So, that was nice. We should end all arguments that way."

Bucky let out a laugh, you liked the way it sounded coming from him, it was far too rare.

"Always, doll."


End file.
